Neuville targets maiden podium

Thierry Neuville says he believes he could secure a maiden World Rally Championship podium this weekend in Germany if he can stay out of trouble throughout the event.

Neuville has a best finish of fifth so far this season and heads into the German event sitting in eighth place in the championship standings at the wheel of his Citroen Junior World Rally Team DS3 WRC.

With the Trier-based event being something of a home event for the Belgian driver, Neuville will aim to impress on his first appearance in a full-blown WRC machine and he said his target was to try and finish inside the top five - with a podium being a possibility.

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"I don't have a huge amount of experience at this event, as I have only competed here once before, in 2010 in a C2 Super 1600," he said, "and even then, I retired. But that is already much more than the last few rallies where everything was totally new for me. What's important is that the road surfaces in Germany are much more familiar to me. I don't think I can be categorised as a 'gravel' or 'tarmac' driver, but I think I won't have any difficulty getting my bearings.

"My aim will be complete the rally without making any fatal errors, like I did in New Zealand for example. If I can manage that, I think I can challenge for a place in the top five and maybe even a spot on the podium."